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DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
111
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
DIAGNÓSTICO Y TRATAMIENTO DE TDAH: CRITERIOS USADOS POR
DIFERENTES CATEGORÍAS PROFESIONALES
Laura Aragão*, Daniele Leôncio**, João Alencar***, Priscila Andrade de Sousa****,
Jorge Falcão***** e Izabel Hazin******
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil
Recibido: 28 de octubre de 2015
Aceptado: 11 de abril de 2016
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic criteria and intervention proposals related to ADHD in different
professional categories from the city of Natal, RN, Brazil. In the study participated 34 professionals conveniently selected
and a semi-structured interview was conducted with them. After the categorization of information we proceeded to a
multidimensional descriptive Cluster analysis. There was an evident division of the whole group into two other groups
due to three bigger relevance variables: education, number of sessions used in the diagnosis, and the use of formal
instruments. Group 1, formed by physicians, was characterized by the use of two to three sessions and by the use of
instruments and formal scales. In Group 2, the average number of sessions was higher than three and all psychologists
and most educational psychologist from this group did not use formal scales for diagnosis. We suggest that the academic
training determines the diagnostic modalities and intervention modalities for ADHD.
Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, diagnosis, treatment
RESUMEN
Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar los criterios diagnósticos y propuestas de intervención relacionados al
TDAH de diferentes categorías profesionales en la ciudad de Natal – RN, Brasil. Participaron 34 profesionales
seleccionados por conveniencia y a quienes se les realizó una entrevista semi-estructurada. Luego de la categorización
de las informaciones se procedió al análisis descriptivo multidimensional de tipo Clusters. Se hizo evidente la división de
la muestra total en otros dos grupos en relación a las tres variables de mayor relevancia: educación, número de sesiones
utilizadas en el diagnóstico y uso de instrumentos formales. El Grupo 1, formado por médicos, se caracterizó por la utilización
de dos o tres sesiones y por el uso de instrumentos y escalas formales. En el grupo 2, el número promedio de sesiones
fue superior a tres y todos los psicólogos y la mayoría de los psicopedagogos no utilizaron escalas formales en el
diagnóstico. Se sugiere que la formación académica determina las modalidades diagnósticas y de intervenciones utilizadas
junto al TDAH.
Palabras clave: Transtorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad, diagnóstico, tratamiento.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
112
LAURA ARAGÃO, DANIELE LEÔNCIO, JOÃO ALENCAR, PRISCILA ANDRADE DE SOUSA, JORGE FALCÃO E IZABEL HAZIN
Introduction
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is
among the most common disorders in childhood, occurring
in approximately 5 % of children (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). Despite a large body of scientific
evidence attesting the neurobiological nature of ADHD
(Couto, Melo-Junior & Gomes, 2010; Gallagher &
Rosenblatt, 2013; Kieling, Goncalves, Tannock &
Castellanos, 2008; National Health and Medical Research
Council, 2012; Pajo & Cohen, 2013; Tarver, Daley & Sayal,
2014; Tripp & Wickens, 2009), the disorder has been the
focus on important critical disputes, especially regarding
its legitimacy, diagnostic effectiveness and therapeutic
effectiveness.
The controversy surrounding ADHD seems
associated, among other aspects, to the heterogeneity of
the symptom expression due to the stages of
development, together with the influence of cultural
aspects; symptoms showed by individuals diagnosed as
ADHD become pathological because of changes in
temporality and intensity (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013), being at the same time related to
contextual, social and moral aspects that modulate the
impact of these symptoms in the child’s or teenager’s lives.
In addition, studies suggest that the vagueness of its
etiological factors could be at the root of the lack of
agreement regarding specific diagnosis tools (Brzozowski
& Caponi, 2012; Caliman, 2009). The absence of biological
markers connected to the occurrence of ADHD, like genetic
aspects and specific brain structures, forces diagnosis
process to be mostly clinical, directly connected to the
knowledge of the professional responsible for establishing
the stages and procedures to be used.
As a result, it is evident that the diversity of
methodological practices in the assessment process,
namely, the use of diagnostic criteria, the evaluation of life
impairment, the source of obtained information, and the
employment of instruments and techniques, like scales,
neuropsychological evaluation and exams, tends to have
a significant influence on ADHD prevalence rates
(American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Bunte,
Schoemaker, Hessen, van der Heijden & Matthys, 2013;
Graeff & Vaz, 2008; Polanczyk, Willcutt, Salum, Kieling &
Rohde, 2014).
The variation of the diagnosis criteria complicates the
definition of the disorder as a clinical category with
homogeneous dimensions in etiological and prognostic
terms. This seems to be directly associated to the
professionals’ education and upbringing, which lead them
to used different approaches involved in the diagnosis
process, especially in terms of differences among
theoretical perspectives underlying the curriculum of each
type of professional education (Peixoto & Rodrigues, 2008).
Concerning medical practice area, aspects related to the
patient’s integral care are still considered as peripheral to
the central target of Medicine, facing obstacles from
practionners (Alves, Moreira, Azevedo, Rocha & Vilar,
2009; Amorim & Araújo, 2013; Rios, 2010). Clinical
Psychology, on its turn, is characterized by many
epistemological attitudes, leading to a divided approach
of the human subject – sometimes disconnecting him from
his sociocultural and political context, sometimes
dissociating his behavior and cognitive processes from
brain, anatomical substrates and neurophysiological
mechanisms (Azzi, 2010; Paiva & Yamamoto, 2010). Last
but not less important point, professionals issued from
Psycho-pedagogy, also involved in ADHD diagnosis,
sometimes propose a treatment allowing a «pedagogical
cure» of isolated clinical cases (Andrade, 2004), other times
take into account the global comprehension of learning
and its difficulties in the context of the relationship the
individual establishes with school, family and society
(Fernandes & Viana, 2009).
Based on the above considerations, the objective of
this study was to evaluate the diagnosis criteria and
intervention proposals related to ADHD from different
professional categories in the city of Natal, in northeastern
Brazil. The following specific objectives stand out: (a)
investigate whether there are specific associations
between education and theoretical conception of ADHD;
(b) investigate whether there are specific associations
between education and diagnosis modality used for
ADHD; and (c) investigate whether there are specific
associations between education and the intervention
modalities used in the treatment of ADHD.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
The following working hypotheses were formulated: (a)
Physicians, psychologists and educational psychologist
have different conceptions and make different
contributions for ADHD diagnosis; (b) Physicians,
psychologists and educational psychologist have different
conceptions on ADHD intervention.
Method
Firstly, the research project was approved by the
Research Ethics Committee of Onofre Lopes University
Hospital – CEP/HUOL, and all participants gave
authorization to their participation in the study through
the signing of the Informed Consent Form and Voice
Recording Authorization.
Participants
Thirty-four health professionals participated in the
study. They belonged to four groups: 9 psychiatrists, 10
clinical psychologists, 10 educational psychologist (with
degrees mainly in Languages and Pedagogy) and 5
neurologists, all of them work in the city of Natal and were
selected without random assignment, by convenience.
With the goal of composing a sample calculation for the
composition of the medical professional group, we used the
website of the Regional Council of Medicine to identify the
total amount of neurologists, neuropediatricians and
psychiatrists, specialized in childhood and adolescence.
However, when performing the procedure, no professional
was identified using the filters «Pediatric Neurology»,
«Neuropediatrics» and «Childhood Psychiatry». A new
procedure was performed by using more general filters,
namely «Neurology» and «Psychiatry». As a result, a total
of twenty-eight neurologists and fifty-four psychiatrists
were identified. The next step was a phone research, which
113
allowed the identification of the professionals, who
directly provided service and monitored children and
adolescents, and gave information about the composition
of the group of professionals as well.
The same procedure was performed to compose the
sample calculation of psychology professionals. However,
when contacting the Regional Council of Psychology, we
identified 2781 psychologists in the city, which were not
defined in terms of active and not active, or regarding
specialty and practice areas. Thus, it was yet again
impossible to compose the sample calculation of these
participants, and phone research was used to compose the
group.
It is important to note that educational psychology is
not a regulated profession and, therefore, there is no
reference on the total number of professionals in the city;
thus, we used a similar strategy to that adopted for the
composition of the other groups.
The sample of physicians, psychologists and
educational psychologist was composed with the
professionals from the attendance network in Natal who
service children and adolescents and who met the
inclusion and exclusion criteria, namely: (a) At least one
year of experience in child and adolescent clinical practice;
(b) History of servicing patients of school age who
presented a diagnostic hypothesis of ADHD; (c) Working
in only one of the practice areas considered in this study.
Measures
For the data collection procedure, we used a research
plan created by the researcher, composed of semi-open
questions, distributed in four distinct thematic sessions.
Questions are shown in the Table 1.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
114
LAURA ARAGÃO, DANIELE LEÔNCIO, JOÃO ALENCAR, PRISCILA ANDRADE DE SOUSA, JORGE FALCÃO E IZABEL HAZIN
Table 1
Interview plan characterization
Identification/Education:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Full name;
Professional formation / Specialty;
Time since professional graduation;
Time of professional practice in the area;
Time of professional practice with children and/or teenagers;
Inform the age range you deal with in your professional practice with children and teenagers.
Characteristics of the children/adolescents serviced by the professional:
From where do directed patients come?
Which is the most frequent age range in diagnosing?
Which are the most common complaints?
Criteria used by the
professional for ADHD
diagnosis:
•
•
•
•
•
If a layman asked you to describe TDA/H, what would you answer to him?
How do you proceed in order to establish a TDA/H diagnosis?
Do you make use of a formal instrument? If positive, which one?
What are the most frequent comorbidities showed by TDA/H patients?
(Just for medical professionals): Which exams do you perform in order to produce your diagnosis?
Which criteria are used in order to ask for a specific exam?
•
•
•
What are the main forms of intervention?
(Just for medical professionals): Concerning drug prescription: which is the most frequent drug
prescribed?
Which criteria are used in order to prescribe this drug?
Concerning drug prescription (non-medical prationers): Among the most frequently prescribed
drugs, according to your experience, which are the most frequently indicated drugs?
Which are the main positive / negative consequences of this prescription?
•
What do you think about advancements and challenges in ADHD diagnosis and treatment?
Intervention modalities
for ADHD patients:
Final open question:
•
•
The interview plan was submitted for analysis by
judges, namely, 2 neuropaediatricians, 3 psychologists, 4
educational psychologists and 2 speech therapists. All
professionals were specialists in the clinical and research
areas of ADHD and members of a reference child
neuropsychology service. We asked for an evaluation of
the plan regarding the appropriateness of the terms used
based on the target population, clarity of questions,
incentive for engagement of the interviewee in answers,
and the ability to reach the proposed objective (Belei,
Gimeniz-Paschoal, Nascimento & Matsumoto, 2008).
We performed individual interviews with the
professionals in their workplaces, with an approximate
duration of thirty minutes. As previously stated, the
participants were recruited with information available on
Internet, contact with child and adolescent clinics and
services in the city of Natal, and referral of professionals
by the participants of the study.
Data analysis
After the transcription of the answers provided by the
participants and a careful reading of the material in order
to verify its reliability, we started the information
categorization stage. We chose to elaborate the categories
a posteriori, constructed from the report of the
professionals interviewed, identifying recurring content
inside the thematic lines that composed the interview plan.
Subsequently, we used a multidimensional descriptive
analysis of the Cluster type with the objective of grouping
information contained in the category-descriptive
variables, in order to obtain group characteristics that
could be interpreted by the researcher. Statistical analyses
of the data were performed with the aid of the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 21.0) software.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
Results
The multidimensional descriptive analysis of the
Cluster type spanned eleven variables common to all
participants of the study, namely: «Education», «Length
of professional experience», «Source of referrals», «Age
group at the moment of diagnosis», «Main complaints
related to ADHD», «Criteria used for ADHD
characterization», «Diagnosis criteria for ADHD», «Use of
formal instruments», «Number of sessions needed for
ADHD diagnosis effectuation or ADHD hypothesis
indication», «Comorbidities associated to ADHD», and
«ADHD intervention modalities».
115
The analysis evidenced a set of variables relevant for
the division of the whole group into two groups
composed by 41.2 % (Group 1) and 58.8 % (Group 2) of
the whole sample, without losses, that is, without any
subject not included in one of the two groups. It was a
division with a reasonable cluster quality, in which the
measurement of the cohesion and separation silhouette
was equal to 0.3 (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Profile of each cluster concerning to variables which reach minimum
importance threshold (0.3). See diferences between clusters.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
116
LAURA ARAGÃO, DANIELE LEÔNCIO, JOÃO ALENCAR, PRISCILA ANDRADE DE SOUSA, JORGE FALCÃO E IZABEL HAZIN
We considered the variable with a minimal importance
threshold close to 0.3 (in an interval from 0.0 to 1.0, with a
usual minimum index of 0.5). Thus, we have verified that
the variable with the largest segmentation force was
«Number of sessions needed for ADHD diagnosis
effectuation or ADHD hypothesis indication», followed by
«Education» and «Use of formal instruments».
number of sessions
education formation
instruments
comorbidities
adhd
intervention
referrals
professional experience
main complaints
diagnosis
Figure 2. Presentation of the variables relevant for the distribution of the sample into two clusters.
Globally, by analyzing the segmentations of the
clusters, it was possible to characterize them, thus
constructing profiles for each one. Group 1 was
predominantly composed by medical professionals,
namely, neurologists (100 %) and psychiatrists (88.9 %).
These professionals are strongly connected by similar
answers to specific categories. The first one is related to
the average number of two to three sessions performed
by most professionals of that group (78.6 %) for ADHD
diagnosis. Secondly, such professionals (72.7 %) tend to
characterize ADHD by integrating etiological and
symptomatology characteristics. This group (85 %) is
equally characterized by the use of formal scales and
instruments as auxiliary methods for diagnosis evaluation.
Finally, they indicated more frequently (100 %), when
compared with the other professionals that they identify
the presence of other disorders comorbid with ADHD.
After diagnosis consolidation, most of the neurologists
and psychiatrists (64.3 %) reported that they suggested
interventions targeted both to the child or adolescent and
to their family and school contexts.
Group 2, on the other hand, it was comprised mostly
by psychologists and educational psychologist (100 %
and 90 %, respectively). For these professionals (100 %),
the average number of sessions usually performed for the
consideration of ADHD diagnosis is higher than three. All
psychologists and most educational psychologist (80 %)
participating in the research do not use formal scales as a
tool for the diagnostic analysis of the disorder.
The large majority of psychologists and educational
psychologist (85 %) defined ADHD from its
symptomatology or etiological characteristics to the
detriment of the association between these aspects. In
general, it was a group that wanted to identify comorbidities
associated with ADHD, although the non- identification of
comorbid presentations was frequent between these
professionals (40 %). Regarding intervention modalities,
most of the psychology and educational psychologist (95
%) suggest integrated therapies that is, directed to the child
or adolescent and to the other contexts in which they live,
namely, family and school.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
Discussion
The main objective of this study was to investigate
how different professional categories, physicians,
psychologists, and educational psychologists have
performed or contributed to ADHD diagnosis and how do
they conceive ADHD intervention for children and
adolescents.
We have noticed that the professional categories and
the particularities that underlie the education regarding the
conception of subject, mental disorders and its
consequences (Amorim & Araujo, 2013; Azzi, 2010; Bueno,
2011; Freire & Tavares, 2011; Paiva & Yamamoto, 2010;
Rios, 2010) seem significantly related to the variation in
diagnostic and therapeutic conceptions for ADHD adopted
by physicians, psychologists and educational
psychologists. Likewise, the inconsistencies on several
dimensions of the disorder, namely, disputes its origin and
empirical validity, also suggest the absence of
methodological and interventional standardization
(Mallett, Natarajan & Hoy, 2014).
The study indicates that the medical professionals
from the city of Natal, Brazil, characterized ADHD from the
articulation of etiological and symptomatological aspects,
conceiving the disorder as having a neurobiological
nature. Clinical psychologists and educational
psychologists, in turn, characterized the disorder
predominantly from symptomatological characteristics.
These findings are consistent with the study by Missawa
and Rossetti (2014), in which the psychologists answer
«disorganization», «damage», «agitation» and «difficulty
with self-control» as first evoked words by ADHD.
In addition, physicians and educational psychologists
have reported integrated socio-behavioral and learning
aspects as the main complaints associated with
ADHD, while psychologists presented mostly sociobehavioral complaints. These results seem related to the
specificities in the conception of subject associated to
each professional area, which corroborates the previous
hypothesis that clinical psychologists tend to emphasize
behavioral, affective and social aspects instead of the
biological aspect (Azzi, 2010).
117
On the other hand, specificities regarding the
«Diagnosis criteria for ADHD» were also identified among
the professional categories. Most psychologists and
educational psychologists usually evaluate and raise the
diagnostic hypothesis of ADHD in a number of sessions
higher than the number of sessions performed by
physicians. We also stress that only neurologists and
psychiatrists stated that they performed the ADHD
diagnosis in one single session. These finding are in line
with previous results (Missawa & Rossetti, 2014; Peixoto
& Rodrigues, 2008).
The stance adopted by some medical professionals
suggests that they remove themselves from the
complexity underlying the disorder, which makes difficult
the judicious analysis of the symptoms and its
consequences for the academic and social life of the child
or adolescent (Palomino, 2014). Furthermore, it increases
the risk of inaccurate treatments, since quick diagnoses
increase the chances of an indiscriminate use of
medication (Hinshaw & Scheffler, 2014).
Another diagnostic criterion that significantly
distinguished the professional categories was the use of
formal instruments. Most physicians stated that they used
structured scales for assistance in the diagnosis process
of ADHD, as opposed to all psychologists and most
educational psychologists, who stated that they did not
use these tools. SNAP-IV appeared more frequently in the
answers by the medical professionals. This questionnaire
is similar to the list of ADHD symptoms from the DSM-IV,
including the same behavioral observations, namely,
absent-mindedness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness
(Posserud et al., 2014).
These findings are consistent with the general data
found by Peixoto and Rodrigues (2008), in a study that
involved psychiatrists, neurologists and psychologists. In
this study, the most used diagnostic instruments were:
anamnesis, psychological evaluation, intelligence
evaluation and questionnaires (i.e. Conners Scale).
However, the results of the study were not presented in a
segmented way. This impedes the investigation on the
association between the professional category and the
use of diagnostic criteria.
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
118
LAURA ARAGÃO, DANIELE LEÔNCIO, JOÃO ALENCAR, PRISCILA ANDRADE DE SOUSA, JORGE FALCÃO E IZABEL HAZIN
In turn, Missawa and Rossetti (2014) have identified
that all the psychologists interviewed used clinical
observation as a diagnosis instrument. In addition to
observation, some psychologists used scales and
questionnaires, while others used games. However, none
of the psychologists requested complementary exams.
In addition, we verified that medical professionals
enumerated a much higher number of comorbidities
associated to ADHD when compared to the other
professional categories. The presence of comorbidities was
considered one of the most representative criteria for the
choice of medicine in the therapeutic process.
The results presented to date, especially regarding the
stages for the diagnostic consolidation of ADHD, suggest
that medical professionals tend to comply with the
diagnostic criteria from the reference manuals. This stance
is discussed by Azzi (2010), who argues that medical
diagnosis is guided by the schematic knowledge of the
diseases, for example, its set of symptoms which, in turn,
guides the investigation of the characteristics of the
individual. In addition, as pointed out by Missawa and
Rossetti (2014), it is necessary to stress that psychologists
lack systematization both in diagnosis and treatment of
ADHD.
Regarding the «ADHD intervention modalities»,
globally, the need for integration between therapeutic,
individual and contextual strategies was significant
between the professionals who participated in the study,
especially for clinical psychologists and educational
psychologists, which corroborates the recommendation of
the multimodal nature of its treatment (Palomino, 2014).
We stress that the answers that mentioned
intervention modalities restricted to therapeutic and
pharmacological treatments, although little significant,
were given only by the physicians. For Brzozowski and
Caponi (2013), this stance increases the risk of
indiscriminate medication use, which contributes for the
defense of those who argue that the body of the individual
is the only focus of problems that should be solved,
without considering the impact of the disorder for the
social and academic contexts in which the child or
adolescent is. This stance is close to the logic that
underlies the medical education — for which the organic
aspects are a priority in relation to psychosocial aspects
when understanding mental disorders (Brzozowski &
Caponi, 2013).
From the above considerations, it is important to state
that diagnostic errors will invariably cause therapeutic
errors. Thus the absence of physical exams that prove the
presence of the disorder requires an effort by the
professional in the sense of considering its
comprehensiveness and heterogeneity, not only in the
biological aspect — bearing in mind the quantity of
structure and brain function factors that comprise it — but
also in the sociocultural, cognitive emotional and
behavioral aspects (Pajo & Cohen, 2013).
In addition, to take as a basis the neurodevelopmental
character of ADHD and, consequently, its symptom
variability during the child’s development, it allows for the
qualitative analysis of the symptoms, which can be
identified early, which makes possible the use of combined
interventions that is, with and without medicine, thus
reducing the chances of symptom exacerbation or future
academic and social dysfunctions (Ruiz, 2012; Schmiedeler
& Schneider, 2014).
By way of conclusion, despite the findings described
above, we highlight that the general results of this study
suggest that the professionals from the city of Natal
involved in ADHD evaluation and intervention conceive
the disease as a multideterminate disorder, which
expresses the interconnection of biological, behavioral and
sociocultural factors. Consequently, they advocate the
consideration of judicious steps, composing a complex
evaluation for functional analysis and analysis of intensity
of symptoms and its developmental course.
Finally, we highlight that a significant limitation of this
study is the small sample of the medical category, namely,
psychiatrists and neurologists. This is justified by the
scarcity of professionals from those areas that focus on
the children and adolescents in the city of Natal.
Furthermore, we stress the need for further studies to
identify the diagnostic criteria and intervention criteria
used by different professionals, either in terms of country
**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
***** falcao.jorge@gmail.com
* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
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ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ADHD: CRITERIA USED BY DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL CATEGORIES
regions, or in terms of comparison between regions, since
Brazil is characterized by a great cultural and
socioeconomic variation.
119
DBD and ADHD in preschool children. Journal of Abnormal
Child Psychology, 41(5), 681-690.
Caliman, L. V. (2009). A constituição sócio-médica do «Fato
TDAH». Psicologia & Sociedade, 21(1), 135-144.
That said, we point out that the data from this study
may help the decision-making in terms of local and national
public policies, as well as serve as a base for debates
regarding the curricula offered for the different
professional categories, filling gaps and indicating specific
continuous training demands.
Couto, T. de S., Melo-Junior, M. R. de., & Gomes, C. R. de A.
(2010). Aspectos neurobiológicos do transtorno do déficit
de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH): Uma revisão. Ciência
& Cognição, 15(1), 241-251.
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**** priscilaandrade.psi@hotmail.com
* lauraclaragao@gmail.com
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* * danicarolly@hotmail.com
****** izabel.hazin@gmail.com
*** joaocarlos.alencar@hotmail.com
LIBERABIT: Lima (Perú) 22(1): 111-120, 2016
ISSN: 1729-4827 (Impresa)
ISSN: 2233-7666 (Digital)